Discovery of magnetic fields in three He variable Bp stars with He and Si spots

It is essential for the understanding of stellar structure models of high mass stars to explain why constant stars, nonpulsating chemically peculiar hot Bp stars and pulsating stars co-exist in the slowly pulsating B stars and beta Cephei instability strips. We have conducted a search for magnetic fields in the four Bp stars HD 55522, HD 105382, HD 131120, and HD 138769 which previously have been wrongly identified as slowly pulsating B stars. A recent study of these stars using the Doppler Imaging technique revealed that the elements He and Si are inhomogeneously distributed on the stellar surface, causing the periodic variability. Using FORS I in spectropolarimetric mode at the VLT, we have acquired circular polarisation spectra to test the presence of a magnetic field in these stars. A variable magnetic field is clearly detected in HD 55522 and HD 105382, but no evidence for the existence of a magnetic field was found in HD 131120. The presence of a magnetic field in HD 138769 is suggested by one mesurement at 3 sigma level. We discuss the occurrence of magnetic B stars among the confirmed pulsating B stars and find strong magnetic fields of order kG and oscillations to be mutually exclusive. (c) 2007 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim